A software widget is portable code that is installed and executed in a runtime environment without additional compilation. For example, a personal computer user may download a weather software widget to their personal computer, where the weather software widget may be capable of displaying a weather report whenever the personal computer is powered on. The user does not have to initiate the weather software widget each time, nor does the user have to compile the weather software widget for the weather software widget to be operational. The user may also download another weather software widget on another device, such as a mobile phone, which may display a weather report for the other device. Other types of popular software widgets may display stock market reports, currency exchange reports, a slide show of user-defined photographs, the latest news headlines that include corresponding Internet links, a personal notepad, a contact list, or play music for Internet radio stations. Users may define preferences for their software widgets, such as selecting the stocks to be displayed for the stock market reports. A hardware widget is a hardware device that has a limited integrated user interface and executes software based on at least partially configurable data stored on the hardware widget. Examples of hardware widgets include a digital watch, a mobile broadband card, a router, a set top box, and a wireless interface device.